Improvement in meat-choppers



M. L. EDWARDS.

MEAT-CHOPPER. No. 190,017, Patented April 24, 1577.

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IMPROVEMENT IN MEAT-CHOPPERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 190,0] 7, dated April 24, 1877; application filed January .10, 1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARTIN L. EDWARDS, of Salem, in the county of Golumbiana and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Meat-Chopping Machines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the ac-.

companying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Long experience in the manufacture of meat-chopping. machines has enabled me to seetheir defects, and my improved machine is designed to remedy them, especially in the particulars of compactness and solidity of the operating parts, in the organization of which novel construction and combinations are made.

Two segmental supports rise from a baseplate, and serve as guide-bearings for the tub,'a, main crank-shaft, and for the attachment of gearing by which the tub is rotated, while outside of said segmental supports postguides are arranged upon the base, to receive between them vertically-moving cross-heads, which, having shortpitman-connections with thecrank-shaft, have also short integral extensions, which support and carry short downwardly-bent arms, which reach over the tub, and to which the ends of the knives are firmly attached. These bent arms form clamps, by which the knives are adjusted and held in a manner to avoid all springing.

The downwardly-bent arms are branched or forked to form'holders for the series of knives, and their position therewith and the tub gives the advantage of a vertical resistance for the knives with connections outside of the tub, and lessens'the vertical movement of the knives.

Balancewheels are arranged upon the crank-shaft between the segmental supports, and directly beneath the meat-tub, to. give regularity of motion to the knives. The devices which give the intermittent feed to the tub are arranged upon one of the supports, between it and the pitman-connected crosshead, and they are operated by a gear on a counter-shaftdriven by the crank-shaft.

The vertically-moving cross-heads, connected, as stated, with the crankshaft and the carrying-arms for the knives, give a firm movement to the latter and great durability tothe working parts. I

In. the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a vertical section of a meat-chop, per embracing my invention; Fig. 2, an end elevation thereof; Fig. 3, a top view; and Fig. 4, a detached perspective view of one of the vertically-movin g cross-heads, with its pitman and extension connection, and the forked arm which carries the knives.

From a base-plate, A, rise two or more supports, B B, preferably cast therewith, and in horizontal section their outer vertical sides form segments of a circle.

The meat-tub O rests upon these supports, which, by their curved sides, form guides c, which, fitting the inner side of the rim of a circumferential gear, hold the tub centrally in its intermittent revolutions.

These segmental supports furnish bearings for a horizontal shaft, D, provided with cranks a at each end, which stand opposite each other in the. same radii, in position outside of said supports.

Postguides E E, arranged in pairs, rise from the base-plate opposite the segmental supports, and a cross-head, F, is fitted to move vertically upon or between said posts.

'Short pitman-rods G connect the cross-heads with the cranks, while vertical extensions. H

a cross-beam for carrying the knives with their adjusting appliances, because the arms I are made adjustable upon their cross-head extensions H by splitting the outer ends 4' of said arms, and forming clamps of them, and binding them upon said extensions by screws 1?, while screw-nuts i upon the upper ends of the extensions bear upon the arms, and hold them against the upward force of the knives. An intermittent rotary motion is given to the tub by means of a bevel-pinion, K, meshing with the bottom gear of the tub. On the hub of this pinion is a ratchet-wheel, L, operated by a pawl, M, attached to a crank or eccentric, N, on a counter-shaft, N, at a proper distance from the center, and so geared as to give the tub suficient feed, and we a movement only while the knives are above the block and the material being chopped, so that the knives will not scrape upon the block, or the material rolled up against them. The-ratchet and pinion are carried by a fixed stud in the support, while the counter-shaft N is mounted in standard on the base-plate, and is operated by a spur-wheel, O, engaging with a similar wheel, P, on the crankshaft. Balance-wheels Q are arranged upon the crank-shaft, between the segmental supports and beneath the tub, so that they are out of the way, and give greater ease and regularity to the operation of the machine. If driven by power, a band-wheel is placed on 'thecrank-shaft, under the meat-tub, or one of the fly-wheels may be used for band-wheel; but the drawings show hand appliances for operating the machine, consisting of a pinion, R, on the crank-shaft, and a crank-handled spur-Wheel, S, supported in a standard upon the base.

The cross-heads and operating parts are below the top of the tub, and oil-drippings cannot get into the tub. Lower extension of the cross-heads may take the place of the pitman-rods, in which case said lower extensions have slats to receive the crank-pins, and instead of single upper extensions, the cross-heads may be arched over at the top.

The cross-head crank-connections give a vertical reciprocating movement to the knives during the interval rotations ofthe tub. One or more knives may be used, as may be deemed best, and they are so adjusted as to work down to the surface of the block.

The balance-wheels may be arranged outside of the segmental supports. The devices which embrace the feed need not be between the pitman cross-head and the support, but can be placed on the main shaft, which would bring the counter-shaft at right angles with the main shaft.

Four supports, B, may be used. One or both of the fly-whecls may be used for bandwheels.

The advantages of making the guide-bear ings and supports forthe meat-tub in segments are: they lessen the friction of the bearing-surface of the tub; I they lessen the weight and thecost of the machine, and provide greater convenience for the arrangement of the balance-wheels upon a through crankshaft.

It will be observed that the guideway for the power-rod or cross-head acts not only as a vertical guide for the knife-carrying arms, but supports them laterally, and gives a firm movement.

I have described and shown the knives as connected with and operated by two downwardly-bent arms and outside power-rods or cross-heads, with their guideways and crankconnection's; but it is obvious that a'single knife-arm, cross-head crank-connection, and guideway may be used without departing from the-spirit or principle of operation embraced in my invention. In such arrangement, however, the knives need not be so long; but I prefer the arrangement shown, as giving the best results. I

The parts, separately considered, are not claimed as new 5 nor any combination which involves the operation of the power-rod centrally through the meat-tub.

In the organization of my machine it will be observed that the tub is free from all interior obstructions, the knife carrying and operating mechanisms being applied laterally, and beneath the tub.

I claim 1. The tub and the knives of a meat-chopping machine, the downwardly-bent knifecarrying arms I, adjustably attached to the reciprocating cross-head extensions H, the cross-head or cross-heads F, and their guideposts E E, arranged and adapted for operation at the side and outside of the tub, sub stantially as herein set forth.

2. The combination, with the tub-feeding and knife-operating connections, of the crank-- shaft D, its balance-wheels Q Q, the tub O, and its segmental supports B B, the several parts being organized, supported, and adapted for cooperation, substantially as herein set forth. 7

3. The arms I, having split clamps i at their outer ends, and branches 1' for the knives at their inner ends, and the external side crosshead connections H and guide-posts E, for adjustment and support, all constructed and arranged for operation substantially as herein set forth.

4. The meat-chopping machine comprising the feed device, consisting of the pinion K, ratchet-wheel L, ratchet M, counter-shaft N, and gears O P, with the tub O and knife operating connections, all constructed and adapted for co-operation substantially as herein set forth. i

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have affixed my signature in presenceof two witnesses. I

MARTIN L. EDWARDS. Witnesses;

THOMAS KENNETT, PETER AMBLER. 

